Who is interested in keeping gambling illegal in Brazil?

The lobby against legalization and regulation of gambling in Brazil, lead by Federal Deputy Roberto de Lucena (Green Political Party of São Paulo), speaks passionately against gambling.

At last June's Brazilian Gaming Congress (BGC IV) in São Paulo, the deputy spoke against the legalization of gambling in Brazil, bravely facing an audience that broadly favor sit.

Due to time constraints on that occasion, my questions could not be presented live. This is the reason I am working to share my thoughts with the public in other ways, and Games Magazine is a perfect outlet for this.

Congressmen opposed to the legalization of gambling in Brazil seem to have a selective aversion to this economic activity. I say that it is selective because there is not a single bill in Parliament to ban lottery or scratch cards.

The missing perspective for our congressmen is that we are not advocating "liberation” of gambling. We are simply advocating a regulated "expansion”of gambling verticals offered (gambling and skill games).

We propose to move beyond just lotteries, scratch cards and horse races, to grow a world class industry, comparable to what is offered by G20 countries (except Muslim jurisdictions).

That said, who is interested in keeping gambling illegal in Brazil?

We can see clues in these facts:In Uruguay, 78% of VIP players are Brazilian. In Paraguay, 80%.

If we legalize gambling here, we can be certain that business and government interests will be disappointed on the other side of the border.

Sure they will…

Witoldo Henrich Junior

Mr. Hendrich is a highly educated and seasoned business veteran based in Brazil, bringing essential experience to his position overseeing the regional business operations of Online IPS’ Brazil entity and Latin American payment services initiatives. Mr. Hendrich holds Administrative and Law degrees, as well as post-graduate credentials in Business Negotiation, Contract Analysis and Tax Law. Mr. Hendrich founded and continues to operate Hendrich Advogados law firm in Rio de Janeiro, and formally advising local corporate and government entities and holds ongoing professorships and lecturing positions at select universities and legal institutions in Brazil.